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Beachwood Sparks Eyeing Studio After Tour

After some nudging from Sub Pop to play its recent 20th anniversary bash, psychedelic country rock outfit Beachwood Sparks has its sights set on a third album after hitting the road.

After some nudging from Sub Pop to play its recent 20th anniversary bash, psychedelic country rock outfit Beachwood Sparks has its sights set on a third album after hitting the road.

The group's last release was the 2002 EP "Make the Cowboy Robots Cry," after which it went on an indefinite hiatus. "We always left it that if the time comes or the elements are right, we'd probably do this again," drummer Aaron Sperske tells Billboard.com. "With the Sub Pop [reunion], they said, 'We'll give you some money.' They basically facilitated us getting in the studio. That was the catalyst we needed -- someone to underwrite this."

Sperske says the original impetus to time off from Beachwood Sparks stemmed from different visions each member had for the group's direction. So, they split to focus on their own projects: bassist Brent Rademaker and guitarist Christopher Gunst formed the Tyde and guitarist Dave Scher joined Interpol as a touring musician. Sperske now says Beachwood Sparks has swelled to a seven-piece, breathing new life into the group.

"We're more flexible in our sound," Sperske says. "A part of it is getting back into the fold and honestly, it has never sounded better than it has before. People are really good players now, too. It's not like they weren't before, but we can do things beyond what we could do before."

For now, Beachwood Sparks is working the kinks out on stage before committing to write new material. "Initially we were really jamming and branching out. It was a new, viable energy," Sperske says. "I felt these shows we booked were not only to say, 'Hey, we're back,' but to gel as a unit again."

"These shows will give us the mojo to have the musical telepathy to be a proper band, and have it not be a piecemeal recording project," he continues. [It will be] something a bit more authentic. Once we've turned over as many stones as we can, I feel we'd have the confidence to produce some new tunes."